s t a r g a z e r
by BlackRoseMuffin
Summary: au ; — such a tragedy should have never occurred; it has made terrible repercussions on this world. you can run, but you can't hide.
1. prologue: red

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or its characters.

A/N: THIS IS MY FIRST ATTEMPT AT A SRSBSNS FIC. DON'T BE HATIN'. And only the prologue is gonna be in present tense, 'kay. I work best in past tense, but the prologue had to be written in present tense.

I hope you like it.

* * *

**prologue**  
_red.  
_

_A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic.  
_

Drip, drip, drip.

The liquid's falling. Catch it. Stop it. Don't just sit there and stare.

The girl sits there and stares.

Drip. Drip.

The red liquid is coming from the body.

It is blood.

Drip, drip, drip.

The girl doesn't know what to do.

That's her brother, lying there on the floor.

Drip, drip.

He's bleeding.

He's dying.

Drip.

The blood's going to be gone soon; soon, he'll be too dead to bleed.

The red substance is touching her toes.

She isn't retracting them.

She just sits there and stares.

Drip.

Go help him, little girl.

Help him.

Try and stop him from dying.

... Drip.

She doesn't move.

... Drip.

He's almost dead.

Any last words, Ienzo?

... Drip.

I didn't think so.

...

He's gone, girl.

And you did nothing to save him.


	2. chapter one: invincible

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or its characters. I LOVE THESE QUOTES OMY. C:

A/N: PFFT why is everything I write these days so sad. D: But I'm listening to "We are Invincible" by mytoybox so maybe this chapter isn't all that sad (LISTEN TO THE SONG!).

_Weeeeeeeee are invincible, tonight-i-i-ight! We are invincibleeeeee! We, we are invincibleeee! We are invincible! We are invincibleeeeee-u-uhhhhl!_

* * *

**chapter one**  
_invincible  
_

_However long the night, the dawn will break.  
_

Xion inhaled, the crisp night air soothing her somewhat. Her ocean-blue eyes flickered to the gravestone in front of her. Ienzo. There was a pang in her heart; she had watched him die. Watched him bleed. Watched him plead with his eyes for her to help him, but she did nothing. She sighed, shaking her head; it had been too late, she told herself once more.

Sometimes, lies were easier to stomach than the truth.

The girl couldn't smile as she stared at his grave.

Ienzo was invincible. He wasn't supposed to die. He was supposed to live to be an old man and die in his damn sleep. He wasn't supposed to die like he did.

Xion swallowed.

Ienzo had been murdered, and all she could do was watch as he bled to death.

Fucking. Hell.

She forced herself to stay a moment before, and then she fled, hot tears flowing down her cheeks.

He wasn't supposed to fucking die.

He was supposed to _live_.

_I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry._

It was funny, how you only felt sorry for your actions after it has been done.

Fate loved its irony.

* * *

"Uh. What." Kairi stared at Sora and Riku, her best friends. "Are you serious?"

"Serious as cherry pie," Sora replied, nodding.

Riku looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "That didn't even make sense."

"Neither of you are making sense!" Kairi snapped. "God, you just told me a lame story about how you two have to 'protect' me from little ant-things. What the heck, guys?"

"Those 'little ant-things' are called Heartless," Sora informed her patiently. "They steal Hearts." The capital letter of the word was clear. "If they take yours, you'll die."

"Well, duh. You can't live without your heart."

"No, not your heart. Your _Heart_." The brunet emphasized the word. "Like... Your metaphorical one. The one that contains your emotions and all that. You're a Princess of Heart, so your Heart is pure. Heartless will definitely go after you."

"Princess... Of Heart?" Kairi tilted her head to the side, frowning. "I... I think I've heard that title somewhere before..."

Riku looked at her sharply. "How could you?" he demanded, almost snidely. "There's no articles of the Princesses of Heart here. None."

"I... I'm not sure..." Kairi swallowed audibly. "I-I think I believe you guys now."

"Okay, that's good," Sora said gently. "Come on, Kai. Riku and I will take you to that little café you like and we'll explain everything to you."

"I'd like that," Kairi declared faintly.

The two boys—almost men, really—walked toward either side of her and hooked their elbows with hers. They began leading her to that cafe.

"... Thanks, guys."

Riku smiled slightly. "No problem."

* * *

Namine sat in that room, that long white room, her sketchbook in her hands as she drew. It didn't make sense, that power of hers, but then again, when did _anything_ make sense?

Pages littered the white table; they were pictures of a boy with a key, a silver-haired boy whose path led to Darkness, and a redheaded girl who was pure of Heart.

The one she was drawing now was a slate-haired man with heartless, soulless cobalt eyes.

_What a pity_, she thought.

He had died before his part had even begun.

But his Nobody's role had yet to come.

Perhaps there is hope after all.


	3. chapter two: mistakes

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or its characters. The quotes aren't mine either, sadly. D:

A/N: Too much of anything is too much.

Too Much by All Time Low.

LISTEN TO IT.

_We were so caught up in love we didn't have a chance to come up for air. What a waste! Where does the time go? Where did our minds go? I don't know._

* * *

**chapter two**  
_mistakes  
_

_Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation.  
_

Was it a sin to continue living while the one you loved most was in a grave?

Yes, Xion decided, it was. How else could she explain the indescribable pain in her heart? It hurt so much, just remembering her brother's name, but she no longer wept for the loss. She was instead strengthened by it, and wiser than before. She still regretted her sibling's death, however; it should not have happened, but it did.

She had a dream last night.

It was of a blond girl wearing a pretty little white dress, living in a white room, sitting on a white chair before a white table, drawing in a sketchpad. She had been drawing Ienzo.

But it wasn't him.

Somehow, his eyes looked more heartless, more soulless than Ienzo's.

It couldn't be Ienzo.

It had to be someone else, but who could it be?

Xion swallowed. She had a feeling she should know who it was, but she couldn't know it, not yet. He looked like Ienzo, but he wasn't her brother.

It was like Ienzo had become an empty shell.

But that couldn't be; Ienzo was in the ground, wasn't he? In the black coffin with the pretty gold designs?

Xion couldn't breathe.

No.

No.

_No._

It couldn't be; corpses were supposed to be left alone. They were supposed to just stay in their fucking coffins and _decay_.

_It was just a dream_, she tried to convince herself.

Just. A. Dream.

What a pity.

Had she accepted the truth, perhaps this wouldn't have happened.

Then again, fate never plays out like you expect it to.

* * *

"So..." Kairi frowned. "I'm the seventh Princess of Heart, and these—bad guys want to capture the other Princesses and I for their own evil purposes. The Heartless feast upon Hearts, and a witch is controlling them. The—" Kairi sighed; it was difficult to say the name. She didn't know why. "What are the Nobodies, again?" she asked, though she had already memorized it.

"They are the empty shells left behind when someone with a strong will has been victim to Heartless," Riku explained again.

Kairi nodded. "Yeah. So... There are superior—_Nobodies_ who command the lesser of its kind. The superior ones take the form of humans, and could be mistaken as one, except for one thing: They don't have Hearts."

"That's right," Sora said, nodding. He smiled a bit crookedly. "You catch on quickly, Kai."

"I've always been a fast learner," the red-haired girl answered, smirking.

So you have, Kairi.

So you have.

* * *

Namine had finished her drawing of Ienzo's Nobody.

She had set it aside.

After a moment, she laid it face-down; it unnerved her to look at his face, because it looked so _real_ and somehow, his eyes portrayed the greatest sorrow anyone could have.

It was time to decide which realm she would stay in: Reality or fantasy?

Decide, Namine.

There isn't much time left.


	4. chapter three: so alive

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or its characters. The quotes aren't mine either. D: What a pity, amirite.

A/N: Hello Brooklyn, hey LA! Take the streets all night cuz we sleep all day! When the world comes crashing down, who's ready to partyyy?

HELLO BROOKLYN BY ALL TIME LOW FTW.

LOVE IT!

(I love Stella by ATL too. C: It's really good. "Feels like I'm falling in love aloneee"... Alex, you'll never fall in love alone with me. I love youuu. -heart-)

* * *

**chapter three**  
_so alive  
_

_Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It's the transition that's troublesome.  
_

Come on, Xion.

Is that the best you can do?

Don't just sit there and do nothing.

You have to help.

Come on.

Do something useful for once.

_Come on._

Xion started; was that just a voice she heard? It was heavy and gravelly and slow. She looked around. It had sounded so close, but there was no one around her.

_Don't tell me you're not smart enough to figure it out?_

She stiffened.

Was it coming from her _mind_?

_Try again._

She tried to think of some other way she could hear this voice.

"My... Heart?" she uttered, feeling silly for talking to thin air.

_Good girl. You catch on as quickly as ever, XIV._

"... Fourteen? What?"

_Perhaps I'm overestimating you. Tell me, XIV: Who am I?_

It was a strange question.

How could she know this man?

"I... Don't know."

_Yes, you do. Come on. Think._

Think.

That was all she did these days.

She concentrated on the sound of his voice. She concentrated on remembering it. She concentrated on the _name_.

"... Xemnas?"

_Good job, XIV. Now that you have remembered, it is time for business. Begin collecting Hearts, my dear; Kingdom Hearts hungers for them._

"Collecting... Hearts?"

_Yes, XIV. Have you forgotten?_

"I... I guess..."

_I will help you remember, then. Summon your Keyblade._

_"Don't listen to him!"_

She couldn't tell if it came from her Heart, her mind, or her surroundings, but the voice was loud and sharp and almost desperate and so _very_ familiar.

"I-Ienzo?" Xion gasped, but only silence answered her.

Her opportunity was gone. So was Xemnas.

The question was, who would she listen to?

* * *

"See you!" Kairi yelled, waving farewell to her friends. They waved back, their smiles identical. Kairi hummed, turning back to her door; she opened it. "I'm home!" she called out, and it seemed her voice echoed.

The house was empty.

Almost.

Kairi shut the door, taking off her shoes. Her parents would be home soon, she figured.

How wrong she was.

She clicked on a lamp, and almost screamed.

One of the things she had taken for shadows was moving and black... And it had yellow eyes.

Just like the things Sora and Riku had described.

It was a Heartless.

And it was after her Heart.

* * *

"Namine."

The girl looked up, startled; the pink-haired man stood before her, dark eyes narrowed in anger.

"Do you realize what you've _done_?" Marluxia hissed, snatching up the paper that held Ienzo's Nobody's face.

Namine was mute.

Yes, she had realized what she had done.

And she was proud.

Decide, Namine.

Time's running out.

Your precious Somebody could die at any moment.

And it will be all. Your. Fault.


	5. chapter four: simple

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or its characters. The quotes aren't mine either. D: What a drag.

A/N: Simple and clean is the way you're making me feel tonight, it's hard to let it go!

Simple and Clean by Utada Hikaru.

Pfft, how cliche, right?

* * *

**chapter four**  
_simple  
_

_Love can sometimes be magic. But magic can sometimes... Just be an illusion.  
_

Xion, remember what has happened. Remember your brother.

Xion remembered.

Remember the voice that claimed to come from your Heart and his intentions.

She remembered.

Remember that both of them had different intentions of what you should do.

She remembered.

Now, choose, Xion: Who will you follow? Your beloved brother or this man who wishes you to murder those with Hearts to feed Kingdom Hearts?

She winced, holding her head; she didn't know what to do.

Xion fell asleep that night, and had a dream.

She was in a void, devoid of any color but black, but then a boy around her age appeared, with spiky blond hair and pretty blue eyes that reminded her of her brother's. He told her, "Choose the path you think is right; it's not anyone's choice but yours. Decide for yourself which path you will follow. If you pick the right one, perhaps we will be saved."

He flashed her a rare smile—a smile that lit up his entire face—a smile that reminded her of Ienzo's—and added, "Perhaps you'll even meet Ienzo's Nobody."

Her eyes widened. "Ienzo's Nobody?" she asked, confused. What was a Nobody? Why did it sound so important?

The boy nodded. "Ienzo's Nobody," he confirmed. "Zexion."

"Zexion—?"

"Choose the right path," the boy interrupted. "The Road to Dawn or the Road to Darkness... It is your choice, and only yours."

And she woke up.

* * *

"No—!" Kairi shrieked as the Heartless leaped toward her. She stumbled back, and turned tail and fled to her door.

She struggled to open it; why was it her door was always hard to open at the worst times?

A Heartless landed on her back just as the door opened, and suddenly, she was flying, falling, screaming, _hurting_—

A black boot nudged her still body. "This one's dead," a soft masculine voiced announced. "Was she important?"

"She was," another voice stated. "She was the seventh Princess of Heart."

"Damn... Poor girl."

"Poor _Sora_. If the other Princesses get attacked like that, he'll fall into Darkness."

"Just like Riku once did."

"Just like _you_ once did."

* * *

"She's gone," sneered Larxene. "Your little Somebody's _gone_—dead, six feet under the ground, pushing up daisies."

Namine continued drawing.

"Did you hear me?" Larxene snapped. "Look at me when I'm talking to you, witch!"

Namine supposed Larxene had to respect her in some part of her mind, since she never called her a bitch.

"It's all your fault," hissed the green-eyed woman. "All. Your. Fault."

She stormed out of the room, satisfied she had been able to rub the little witch's failure in her face.


End file.
